Just Another Naoya Teshigawara's Story
by WillySmith1510
Summary: Naoya Teshigawara has just broke up with his girlfriend, he's bound to repeat the year if he fail the upcoming exam. Just as he's about to lose all hope, the arrival of one particular transfer student of Class 3-3 of Yomi North will change everything. THIS FIC IS DEDICATED TO MY FELLOW FANFIC WRITER. IF YOU DON'T LIKE, THEN DON'T READ. Got it memorized?
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: Just a reminder: In this fic, there is NO calamity, no deaths, no dark settings, just plain school life of one Naoya Teshigawara.**

It was just a simple day in my life as a student of Class 3-3 of Yomi North school.

Wait, you don't know my name?! What the hell? I'm the most popular boy in this school and you don't know me!?

Ah, well. Guess that's not helping...

Right, my name is Naoya Teshigawara, and I'm awesome.

Well, not really...that's probably something I thought up for myself.

The reason for this? Well, I'm always the funny guy in the class.

People liked me because I'm funny. My antics usually got me in trouble with the teachers, but at least it can make my friends smile.

Yet nowadays, almost nothing makes me smile...

It's five months, five freaking months! And not even a bloody thing happened here!

This place is so damn boring.

Yeah, welcome to Yomiyama North Middle School, they said. You'll get along here just fine, they said.

Then why the hell do I feel like I'm the only one who shouldn't be here!?

I mean, yes, I _do_ have a lot of friends here, and my knowledge is just enough to barely go through the year without failing every test I take.

But still, it's _so _boring here!

Why can't an energetic school life like those in the animes can happened to me for once? Is it really too much to ask for a story where I could pilot a humongous mecha, saving the world from starfish aliens, something like that? Maybe one of my classmates could be a sleeper agent from Mars, assigned to observe humanity. Heck, even a survival horror story will do it for me! I'm not really a fan of it, but a story about a restless ghost that stalks my classmates and killing us one by one will surely spice things up around here...

But not here. If there's a place to call the most boring place on Earth, this place will surely gets in my top ten list.

Yuuya told me that I'm looking a bit stressed lately, and suggested that I go find something to do to lighten up. Well, there's nothing here than can lighten me up at all!

I already gave up at trying sports, that bastard Kazami always beat me in anything we've played. Heh, he's a good friend and all, but can't he really at least going a little easy on me?

Studying? Off the tables.

Reading? As long as it's mangas, I'll read it, but it gets pretty boring after a while.

What else could I do? Find a girlfriend? Already did that, and failed miserably at doing so, if I might add.

Want me to explain? Ah, damn it. Not again.

Right, right.

So, there was this red-headed twintail girl, Izumi Akazawa. One could simply say she's the hottest girl in the school right now.I had a crush on her ever since I arrived here.

It took some time, and a lot of (mostly failed) efforts, but she finally agreed to went out with me. A few dates in, and I felt like I'm the happiest guy in the world.

Of course, that's when things get downhill between us.

It was a month ago...

* * *

_"Damn it, Naoya! Will you stop acting like an idiot and listen to me for a minute!?" Izumi shouted up._

_"Of course! Anything for you, my princess!"_

_She blushed a bit, but then went back to her angry face._

_"Stop calling me that! I need to make something clear!" She yelled._

_I've never seen her making such serious face before._

_"I..." She hesitated. I had a bad feeling about this._

_"What's wrong, Izumi-chan?" _

_"I...maybe...we should just be friends..."_

_...What?_

_What does she mean by that?!_

_"Don't get me wrong! You're...kind to me...Naoya...but we're just not meant for each other..." Her voice saddened._

_I let out a nervous laugh, she must be joking, right?_

_"C-C'mon, Izumi-chan! Don't joke to me like that! You're...! You're...not joking?" I hesitated. Izumi is giving a death-glare. _

_"I'm not joking, Naoya..."_

_S-seriously?_

_"But why!? What did I do wrong? I'm...!" I tried to figure out words, but I was just too shocked to say anything._

_"You're not doing anything wrong, Naoya. It's just me that's wrong...I...I should've thought this through before I decided to went out with you..." She said._

_"W-what do you mean?"_

_"I'm...damn it!" She took a deep breath. "You're just not the type of guy I liked, Naoya...I'm terribly sorry..." _

_I saw a single tear ran down her face._

_"You're...you're a good person...but...I'm...damn it! Damn it! I'm sorry!" _

_And then she just ran away, her face covered with her hands._

_"Wa-wait!" I tried to chase her, but was interrupted at the worst possible moment._

_"Hey! Naoya! Kubodera-sensei asked me to find you! He want you to explain about that needle on his seat inside the teacher office!" Yuuya shouted up from behind me._

_I was just doing that to humor Kazami, why did it have to bite me in the ass at this moment!? _

_"He threatened that you'll get a detention if you don't go find him now!" Yuuya added._

_Damn it all._

* * *

Me and Izumi haven't talk to each other a whole week after that.

And when we finally did, we never look at each other in the eyes again.

It's not that I blame her for it, really. She's one of the Student Council member, and I'm just a lowly delinquent who happens to have a crush on her. It's like trying to mash Yin and Yang together. It's not gonna work out. Even if it did, it probably won't last long.

She has her job, and she took it seriously. I'm just gonna be a hindrance to her.

My antics usually resulting in her having to clean up after my problems, as well as getting her scolded for being around with a guy like me.

I hate to admit it, but she deserved someone better than me.

Someone who can take care of her, and _not_ getting in her way when it comes to her duty.

It's just like one of those school life dramas I've seen in TV. Just, why the heck it has to happen to me? Of all people?!

Damn it, so much for being the funny guy of the class...

"Teshy, Teshy! You're looking so down today!"

Aya picked me on my cheek.

"Need someone to cheer you up?" She asked with a cheerful voice.

"Go away...I'll take a nap..."

Aya pouted. "Boo, don't ignore me like that!"

Kouichi walked up next to me.

"Whoa, you just looked like you're just coming back from hell. What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nah, just. You know what? Leave me alone!" I shouted, unintentionally startled Aya.

"Wha? What's wrong with you, dummy!" She stick out her tongue, before running away.

Good riddance.

"Hey, don't be so angry, man. What's the matter?" Kouichi continued asking.

"I said go away..."

"Maybe we can talk about it later..."

"GO AWAY!"

Silence.

Kouichi sighed, before walking away from me.

I slammed my head into the desk.

_What a way to start a day..._

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the first class.

Kubodera-sensei walked into the class, along with Ms. Mikami, the homeroom teacher.

"Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, sensei."

Heh...so boring to do this everyday...

"I have an announcement to make. From today forward, there will be a new student in our class. I'm sure some of you might heard of her already, but let's leave her a chance to introduce herself..."

What? New student? Wow, this is a surprise.

It was just only a while after the newest student joined our class, who is Kouichi, by the way.

A young girl then walked into the class.

She has a black, somewhat puffy hair. She's also probably a few centimeters shorter than me. Well, can't really tell that, though. She's standing in front of the class while the rest of us are in our chairs.

"Whoa! She's cute!" I heard Yuuya whispered.

Well, she's _rather_ pretty, if I say so myself.

Wait...the hell am I thinking?

"Hi everyone! My name is _Afira Briade! I'm an exchange student from Indonesia. Nice to meet you all!" She introduced herself, before smiling._

_Wow, that's actually a pretty beautiful smile._

_"Alright, we've known each other now. Afira-san, please take your seat near Naoya-kun's." Kubodera-sensei pointed at the empty seat on my left._

_Wha!?_

_As she walked to her table, Afira noticed that I'm staring at her._

_She gave me another smile. I could do nothing except smiling back..._

_"Nice to meet you, Naoya-kun!" She said before sitting down at her seat._

This is going to be a hell of a day...

* * *

**Editor's note: Well, here goes! My first OC fic. Dedicated to one of my friends, Aria Briade. She's certainly one of the most aspiring writers out there. Check out her works! **

**And please, do me a favor, if you don't like this fic, don't read at all. This is just an OC x Naoya fic I'm writing for my friend. It's not be the best fic, maybe not even good, but I'm doing this for her. You don't like, don't read. That's all. **

**And anyways, Aria, if you're reading this. Hope you don't kill me. LOL**


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't even realize the midterm examination is coming soon.

For all I care, studying isn't really one of my strong points, so I don't take these exams seriously. Well, that all changed when Kubodera-sensei gave me a strict warning after the class ended.

_"Teshigawara-kun, your grades have been getting lower and lower this year. If you don't take this upcoming exam seriously, you might fail the class and have to repeat the year. So, I warn you, if you have any slightest concern about your future, don't fail this test, for your own sake."_

I can tell from the serious tone in his voice that he's not joking. Hah, who am I kidding, Kubodera-sensei can't even spell the word joke...

Not that it made my day any better.

What am I gonna do now?

* * *

So, this evening after school, I decided to ask my 'childhood friend', Kazami, for help.

"Oi! Kazami! Teach me something about Math, will ya?"

Kazami, who's chatting something with his girlfriend Yukari, replied in an annoyed voice. "What? I'm busy right now!"

"Please! I really need to get better at it right now, or Kubodera will have my head!"

Kazami sighed loudly.

"You should've paid more attention in the class...Ahh, right."

He turned to face Yukari. "Please excuse me and this idiot for a bit, my sweet Yukari-san!"

Yukari blushed a little bit. "N-no problem! I'll be talking with Takako and Izumi about the upcoming school festival. If you need me, you can find me at the school ground."

"Yep, will do!"

And with that, Yukari left the classroom.

"Damn, so much for my chance to ask her out for a date. Thanks a lot, you idiot." Kazami said.

"Hey, if you isn't one of the smartest students in the class, I'd probably go ask someone else!"

"Right! Right! Just get straight to the point, what do you wanna know?"

"Um...everything?"

Kazami facepalmed himself hard after hearing what I just said.

"Are you kidding me!? Math isn't that hard, you know!? You're telling me you didn't learn anything these past few months!?"

"Geez, not everyone is as smart as you, you know?"

"Good grief..."

Great, I just ruined my best friend's first date because of my stupidity.

The funny thing about Kazami is, while he outrights denied all the time (that sometimes it even became somewhat annoying) that he likes Yukari, everyone can see it. In fact, he's always trying to find an excuse just to sweet-talk her.

That bastard, now he's making me jealous of him.

* * *

Thirty minutes in, and this is getting nowhere.

I'm _definitely _not good at Mathematics...

Or, perhaps I didn't exactly focus on what Kazami said. I was thinking about something else.

_"You're just not the type of guy I liked, Naoya...I'm terribly sorry..."_

Damn it.

"And then you just have to divide the variables...Hey! Are you listening to me!?" Kazami yelled at me to listen to him.

"Ah, great...It's time I have to meet with Yukari. Sorry, Naoya! I need to go now." Kazami glanced at the clock, before hurriedly get out of the desk.

"Hey! But what about the last five questions!? You can't expect me to solve it by myself!" I yelled out.

"Try your calculator! That'll help. Good luck!" He shouted back at me before running out of the classroom.

So much for tutoring.

Well, there's nothing more to do here. Time to go home.

I was packing my things when suddenly, someone bumped into me.

"Kyah! I'm sorry!"

I turned to look at the speaker. It was Afira, the transfer student from Indonesia.

"It was nothing, don't worry."

Afira then grabbed her backpack before turning to face me again.

"Um, you're Naoya-san, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yeah..."

"We haven't properly greeted each other before. Nice to meet you!"

"Right..."

What's with her?

"Are you...in a bad mood today?" She asked curiously.

"You could probably say that. I'm just..." I said miserably.

"Having trouble with something?"

I sighed.

"It's just...I'm having trouble with studying lately, and with the test coming in close and so much things on my mind, I can't focus at all."

Damnit, why the hell did I just say that? It's not like she can help me solve my problems.

"Well, why don't you ask for my help!? I'm actually quite a good student myself!" Afira said cheerfully.

Hey, hey. What's with this!?

"If you're having trouble studying, you shouldn't just waste your time doing nothing to improve yourself, you know?" She crossed her arms.

"Does it look like I'm doing nothing right now?" I sighed. "I'm just...having trouble trying to focus myself, that's all."

"Well, this is nothing new. I've actually been through something like this before, too. I know how to deal with it."

Afira then grabbed my hand.

"Come on! Let's go to the library!"

I barely got enough time to grab my backpack before she dragged me out of the classroom.

"W-wait!"

What's with this girl!?

* * *

Two minutes later, we arrived at the library.

"There's still an hour left before the library closed. That should be enough time for some revision." Afira said.

"Now, now, just hold on a sec. Why are you helping me?" I asked her.

It's true! I haven't done anything to help her before? Heck, we've just met today!

"Well, you seemed like a good person, Naoya-san, and because I like helping people! If you were me, wouldn't you do the same?" She replied.

"Ah...okay."

Heh, she seems like a very good-natured person.

We walked into the library, and only find one person inside; the old, creepy-looking librarian named Mr. Chibiki. Sometimes he scared the hell out of me when I walked in, he's like a living fossil!

"Ah, so you must be the new transfer student, am I right?" Mr. Chibiki asked.

"Yes, sir! My name is Afira Braide. Are you the librarian here?"

"Yes. I've been working here for many years now, yet not much students visited the library. Sometimes I think it's because they're afraid of me."

You know, you're probably right, sensei.

"You seemed like a kind person, Chibiki-sensei!" Afira said happily, making Mr. Chibiki smiled a bit.

"Heh, you're too kind."

"Would you mind if I and my friend do some revision here?" Afira asked him.

Mr. Chibiki stared at the clock, "It's a while until the library close. You can study here if you like. Be sure to return any books to the correct shelves and don't leave anything on the table when you're done. That's all. I'm going to take a little break for awhile."

And with that, Mr. Chibiki walked out of the library.

"Well, shall we start now?" Afira asked me, before running over to the nearest table, grab a chair then sit down.

"Right, right." I grabbed the nearest chair then sat down on the opposite side of her.

We stayed silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

"So," Afira spoke up first. "You said you can't focus while studying. What seems to be the problem?"

I thought about it for a bit. Well, there's the thing with Izumi that keeps bothering me, then there's the upcoming exam.

"Well, I can't really tell what troubles me the most. Let's just say there are many things on my mind that I can't concentrate." I told her.

"Right. So, the thing you need to do first is to forget everything. When you're about to study, you can't let other things get on your mind, otherwise it'll be just a vain effort." Afira explained.

"It's easier said than done, you know?" I argued.

"Right, right. No need to worry. Let's say, you have something you like to do in your free time?"

"Um...I like playing games?"

Afira facepalmed.

"No wonder you're like this. Anyways! If you have something you like to do in your free time then go do it! But only if you forced yourself to finish your homework first."

"But how could I do homework if I don't even know how to do them!?"

"Then let's do it now! If you have any questions, I'll try to help you answer them! You know, it's actually a good idea to do your homeworks at school. If you have anything you don't understand, you can ask your friends or teachers for answers, and if you finish it before you got home, you'll have more free time to do whatever you liked!"

Whoa, never thought of that before...

"But that still doesn't help the fact that I'm a slow learner..."

Afira grabbed a glasses she got out of nowhere, then putting in on and acted like she's my teacher.

"You have to be more active during the class. If you don't understand something, ask your teacher right away. Always make short notes to help you. Write them down on your workbook in ways you can understand. Make sure you don't mess the books up! And here's the kicker! You'll need to..."

Etc. etc.

* * *

Thirty minutes in, and Mr. Chibiki finally returned.

"All right, students. It's time to go home, the library's closed." He told us.

"About time..." I spoke out.

Me and Afira then walked out of the library.

"So! Have you learned anything new today, student?" She teased me.

"If you mean that 'how-to-pretend-to-be-a-good-student-in-class' lecture, then yes."' I said.

Afira pouted. "That's not funny, Naoya-kun!"

"I'm just kidding!" I laughed a bit. She's can be cute when she's mad.

"But the way you explained to me, all of that. I think you might make a good teacher, Afira-san." I told her.

Really, I mean it. She's really good at explaining stuffs. At least she's not making me asleep like some other teachers in school.

Afira blushed a little. "R-really? Thank you!"

I smiled at her. If this is how she greeted new people, by helping people with their problems, I guess she's not half bad at all.

We walked out to the school ground. The sky's getting darker now.

"Well, it's time to go home." I told her. "See you tomorrow, Afira-san!"

"Yeah, don't forget to do your homework, Naoya-kun!"

And so, another day at Yomi North has finally ended.

Well, at least I learned something new today, by a new friend I've just met myself, too.

A transfer student, who could've thought.

I guess there's still hope for me, after all.

* * *

**Editor's Note: Well, about this chapter...nothing to say here, Afira-chan.**

**Like I said, I'm definitely **_**not**_** good at writing couple fics...**


	3. Chapter 3

A week in, and not much success about improving my studying.

_Learn, damnit! You goddamned brain! I ain't having you just so you could fill the empty space in my head! _

The fact that the midterm exam is just only a few weeks away doesn't help.

Should've just study when I had a chance, dang it.

"You know, the Great Depression happened _before _the Second World War, not after..." Afira frowned.

"It's just a little mistake!"

"Well, that little mistake of yours has the difference of about a few decades..."

"Arrggg, right! So what next?"

"Yeah, and Sir Isaac Newton _never _participate in any space projects. Heck, he's dead for _centuries_ before we even born! What's got into you!?"

"Hey, I think I heard the name Isaac somewhere in those space science-related thing."

"You idiot, that was Isaac Asimov, a sci-fi writer!"

"Damn it, why do these things have to be so hard!" I complained.

"Just relax!" Afira scolded me. "You can't just learn everything just after a few hours of study. You need to revise the lessons you learned everyday you got home."

"Easy for you to say..." I argued.

Afira pouted. "Hey, it's hard for me the first time, too! You ought to be more patient!"

This time, I didn't say anything, probably because there's no winning when it comes to argue with her...

During the past week, Afira has been very kind to me. She's helping me studying, teaching me things I don't understand, even helping me doing homeworks! Hah, I'm so pathetic. She's very friendly to me, as well as helpful. Without her, I don't think I'll be making any progress at all with all these lessons.

I hate to admit it, but I think that I became like that mostly because I'm somewhat hyperactive. ADHD, right. What do they call it? Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity whatever? Ah, screw it. How do scientists remember all of these!?

Granted, when I actually put my mind into it, the lessons aren't that freakin' hard. It's just that I had a problem memorize all of them. With everything that's happened in the past few weeks, it's difficult for me to be capable of putting my mind into something for longer than a minute.

But Afira, I don't know, she actually helped me overcome all of this.

It's...hard to describe.

I've just met her for a week, and now she's helping me with everything.

Just...what the hell happened?

It's...it's not that I don't like that, but...

I just wanted to know why did she took so much interest in me.

"Hey, Afira-chan?," I finally call her by using -chan prefix. She _insisted _that I call her by that, but I'm not really used to it.

"Yes?"

"I'm just wondering out loud. Why help me? Why do all these stuffs for me? I never once help you with anything...or maybe..."

It's kinda obvious, actually. I remember that smile she gave me on the day she arrived here, and how she's been treating me this whole week.

"Do you..._like_ _me_ or something?"

Heck, even an idiot like me could realize it.

Afira suddenly tensed up, her eyes widen. She turned away from me. I noticed her cheeks turned redder a bit. She's blushing.

"W-wha, what! Why do you even ask something like that!?" She shrieked out.

"So suspicious...so you _do _like me, huh?" I teased her, trying to lighten her up a bit.

"N-no way! You're fantasizing!"

"Hahh? Why so denial? Afira-chan?" I continued to tease her. It's almost too cute seeing her act like this.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Afira snapped, before she took a deep breath.

"The truth is, ever since I met you a week ago...I think I _do_ like you...a bit." She admitted. Her face's getting more and more redder now.

_Whoa._

I was just teasing her. Never thought she's really serious about it...

"Right! You may think I'm crazy, but, but...you reminded me of someone I liked." Afira managed to say something.

"Ah, yeah...yes! So, where'd we left at?"

"Who?"

"It's...it's someone who's a lot like you. But...but...he never existed." Afira said, her voice sounded sad.

"What do you mean?"

"He's...how should I put it...he's a fictional character in an anime I liked. I'm crazy for him, you know?"

"You...fell in love with a fictional character?" I asked curiously.

"What?! Everyone does that all the time! We all have someone we loved in something we liked, right?" She protested. Now I feel like I shouldn't have asked this question.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Like I said, he never existed. So I could only dream of him...but..." She stared at me.

"You looked so much like him! You're like his twin brother or something...I'm not even sure if I'm dreaming or if this is just my mind playing tricks on me..."

Silence.

Well, I don't know what to say about this.

I'm actually looked like some anime dude? Wow, my parents must have some good genes in them.

"So, why did you come to Japan?" I decide to change the topic, because, well, you know? Ah, forget about it.

Afira seemed relieved that she can finally talk about something else. "Well, my mother has to work overboard, so she sent me to live with her cousin here in Yomiyama. She said it's also a nice opportunity for me to learn something new."

"So, that explains why you speak Japanese almost perfectly. Your mother's cousin's been teaching you?"

"Yep, she's real nice to me. Always showing me around town, making new friends. She's also the reason why I got admitted into this school."

Well, it's the only school in town, actually, so unless she lived in other areas, she can only come to this place when it comes to education.

"So, let's talk about you, shall we?" She gave me a light, somewhat devious smile.

"What's your story about you and Izumi?"

_What!?_

How did she know about that!? That's private!

"I heard about it from Yukari. Sometimes she let it slipped that you and Izumi once dated before. Is it true?"

"Why the heck did you just ask that out of the blue!?" I yelled.

"I'm curious!"

What a reply...

I sighed loudly, guess there's no hiding from her.

"Yeah, so about _that_, well. Izumi's been a great friend to me since I arrived at this school. She helped me in a lot of things, and I sometimes help her in her Student Council works. A while ago, we started dating. It's going great...for a while, then it all gone downhill a month ago. She told me that I'm just not the man of her type and broke up with me, before running away crying...I'm still shocked..."

Afira listened to me closely. She just nodded.

"That's too bad for you, Naoya-kun..."

"Nah, I think I'm good now." I told her.

Frankly, one of the main problems in my lesson revision is because of my recent broke up with Izumi. But somehow, a little talk with Afira made me feel a lot better about it.

She's not the girl for me, I have to let her go.

There's someone better for her out there.

"You know, I like Izumi, actually. When she's not being all serious about everything and that, she can be a really nice person. She helped me getting used to this place and making some new friends!" Afira explained.

"Yeah...she's really a nice person..." I said.

"Oh! Look at the time! It's getting late. Should we go home now?" Afira asked.

I looked at the clock, it's almost five now.

"Right, let's go home."

We packed our things, before walking out to the front gate.

* * *

At the hallway, Afira has another surprise for me.

"Hey, Naoya-kun. Can I...ask you something?" She said hesitantly.

"Yep."

"If you pass this upcoming exam, will you..._go out_ with me?"

_Aw, crap._

"Wha, wait! What's this all of a sudden!?"

"Please!" Afira said shyly.

"Right, right! Just make sure I _pass _the exam..." I said, defeated.

We stayed silent from here to the front gate, where we go our separate ways.

"See you tomorrow, Afira-chan."

"You too, Naoya-kun!"

I glanced at the sunset on the horizon.

_Looks like another day has finally ended, huh?_

But oh well, there's a lot happened today.

There's still a long way ahead of me.

* * *

**Editor's note: This chapter feels somewhat rushed, maybe even random because time's running out for me, and because I'm a very, very, **_**very**_** busy man. I'm really not at my best at all when I wrote this chapter... **

**And even after all this, there's still another chapter left.**


	4. Chapter 4

Time flies like a blasted space rocket. Before I knew it, the midterm exam is just a day away.

Can it get any more worse?

When you think about it, time passed by faster than anyone thought. It feels like just a few days ago when I broke up with Izumi...before meeting with Afira.

At least I managed to get some much-needed knowledge into my head after weeks of dedication.

This is, of course, thanks to my dear Afira-chan and her determined efforts to help me. She actually managed to teach something to a fool like me and succeeded, something every teachers, even the kind school angel like Ms. Mikami, failed to do so.

Speaking of her, Afira seems to be in a very high spirit today.

"La la la! Ah! Good morning, Teshy!" Afira greeted me this morning when I arrived in the class.

Wait, did she just call me Teshy?

"Hey! Where'd you get that 'Teshy' name from!?" I asked her, even though I know there's only one other person in this class who keeps calling me by that.

"It's a nickname Aya gave you, right? It suited you so well!" Afira smiled happily.

"Yeah, right." Time for a facepalm.

"You seems to be in a very good mood today, is something happened?" I asked her.

"It's my birthday today!" She said cheerfully.

Whoa, today's her birthday!?

"Why didn't you tell me earlier! I could've buy you a present!" I told her.

It's true, I wanted to give her a present. As a thank you gift for all the hard work she put into to be my private tutor. It's the least I can do for her.

"Nah, Teshy, don't worry 'bout it! If you pass your exam then it'll be the best birthday gift for me ever!" Afira said.

"But...wait! What if I don't pass the exam?!"

"You have to, otherwise you'll have to repeat a year, remember?" Afira reminded me.

Right, almost forgot about that...

"Yeah, it's almost like Kubodera's just looking for a reason to keep me with him for another year, for all the pranks I played on him..." I said miserably.

"Hey, no matter what's the outcome, if you do your best and be a good student, things might not be as bad as you thought! " Afira told me.

"I don't have any problems repeating a year! It's not like I'm gonna get expelled from school or anything! It's just...I won't be staying in the same class as my friends again..."

"But that's the thing, right? You learned from your mistakes so you won't do them again. Maybe next year you'll be the smartest student in the class, who knows?!" Afira gave me a bright smile, trying to cheer me up.

"Me? Smartest student? Heh, it'll be a cold day in hell before something like that happened." I jokingly tell her.

Granted, these past few weeks, I've learned a lot of things. At least I managed to finally keep up with all these mathematic equations thing, and my English has never been this better thanks to Afira's tutors.

But most of all, my mind's became clear for the first time in many days.

After I broke up with Izumi, along with Kubodera's threat about repeating a year if I fail the exam, I just can't get my mind straight and focus on studying. Afira changed all that in the way I couldn't even imagine before. She reminded me of what's important, what that really matters to me.

At any rate, tomorrow's gonna decide everything, whether I'm worthy to pass the class or not.

"Hey, Naoya-kun?" Afira said nervously.

"What, no more Teshy, Teshy?" I teased her a bit, making her blush again.

"S-stop that! I was just...wondering if you're free this evening?"

"Well, I'm in no hurry to go anywhere, why?"

"What do you think about...going to the local theme park with me today?" She asked.

"Wha! But it's exam tomorrow! Shouldn't we, you know, stay at home and study?"

"That's the point! We've been studying the whole month, haven't we? Besides, you're getting better at everything now, the exams shouldn't be a problem to you! A little relax will be nice, if you ask me!" Afira crossed her arms and stared at me.

"Besides, I don't think you'll do _any _studying when you got home." She added.

Ouch, how did she know that!?

"...If you say so." I told her. Well, a break once in a while will be nice. I'm gonna go crazy if I have to read any more books.

* * *

After hours of torture inside the classroom, the bell finally rang.

"Alright, students. Class's over." Ms. Mikami announced. "Make sure all of you do an appropriate preparations for the midterm exam tomorrow. Good luck!"

I was packing my things when Kubodera-sensei walked into the class.

"Oh, Teshigawara-kun, come talk with me for a second."

Wha? What is this!?

Don't tell me he's gonna lecture me about my behavior again! I've been a good student the whole month!

I did as he commanded, still wondering what the hell is he up to.

We walked to the hallway outside the class, Kubodera-sensei turned to face me, before adjusting his glasses.

"Teshigawara-kun, I've been watching your progress quite recently. I see you've improved yourself. You paid more attention in the class, always answering the questions when asked. Best of all, _somehow_ you managed not to play any of your childish pranks on others for the whole month!"

He looked at me curiously.

"You've changed, Teshigawara-kun, and in a good way. I hope you keep up your good behaviors for the rest of the year."

He gave me a little, if somewhat weird, smile.

"Do your best tomorrow, Teshigawara-kun, and maybe you won't have to repeat the year. You have my word."

And with that note, he walked away, just as Afira walked out of the class.

"Hey, is something wrong? Why is Kubodera-sensei called you out here?"

I chuckled, feeling somewhat relieved from what Kubodera-sensei said.

"Nothing, it's nothing." I told her. "Anyways, shouldn't we get going now?"

"Ah,yea-yeah! Let's go!" Afira said, before she dragged me racing through the hallway.

"H-hey! WAIT!" I yelled.

What's with this girl!?

* * *

We bumped into two familiar faces at the stairs leading to the front gate. They're somebody we knew well.

"Ouch! What's with all the hurry!?" Kouichi shouted. Afira ran into him, hard, and sent him onto the floor.

"Would you two mind be more careful!? That's my boyfriend on the floor there!" The second energetic voice is none other than Izumi Akazawa, who apparently got back to her usual self.

Wait a sec, did she just say 'boyfriend'!?

"Hey! Did you just called Kouichi your boyfriend!?" I yelled at her.

"WHA!?" Izumi's face turned bright red.

"Gotcha!" Afira teased her.

Kouichi finally got up from the floor. "You just can't keep your mouth shut, will you?" He said.

"I-It's not my fault! They're going to figure it out anytime soon anyways, with us going everywhere together..." Izumi protested, but is interrupted by Kouichi, who tried to cover her mouth with his hand.

"Geez! If you're going to let out this much, why don't you tell them everything!?"

"W-wait a sec. You're telling me that you two started...dating?" I asked, my jaws dropped in awe.

Kouichi finally put his hand away. "Well, looks like there's no excuse this time."

He sighed. "Yeah, we've been dating for a few weeks now."

I can't believe it.

My bro Kouichi managed to tame the high almighty Izumi Akazawa!? Now, that's quite a feat.

"Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but Izumi...she's..." Kouichi turned to look at Izumi, who's still blushing. "She's been in love with me ever since I arrived at this school, man. That's why she broke up with you, no offense. I really love her, too. We're getting along real great." He added.

"Yeah, to quote Aya-chan; 'You two are _made_ for each other!" Afira teased them.

Izumi finally snapped out of her shock, before turning to face me.

"I'm...sorry about this, Naoya-kun. I-I really liked Kouichi-kun. He's been very nice to me."

"Nah, that's fine!" I told her. "If that's good for you, then I don't mind, and Kouichi, please take good care of her, or else I'll kill you!" I warned Kouichi, who's smiling nervously at me.

"Right! Right!" Izumi crossed her arms. "As a Student Council member, I must warn both of you, _don't _run down the stairs, please! You're lucky we're not holding something sharp in our hand, something like an umbrella, for instance...That thing can _kill_ you! You know!?"

Heh, looks like she's back to her usual self.

"Roger that, Izumi-chan!" Afira saluted her.

"So, where are you guys going?" I asked.

"Um, we thought about going to a local theme park for, you know, clear our mind before the exam tomorrow." Kouichi explained.

"You're kidding! We're going there, too!" I said.

"Why don't we all go there together? Yuuya, Aya, Kazami and Yukari are heading there, too!" Afira suggested, which I think is not a bad idea at all.

And after that, we all walked out of the building.

* * *

We almost reached the front gate before Afira suddenly stopped.

"Hey, Naoya-kun. Do you mind if I hold your hand while we're walking?" She asked me.

"Well, seeing that you just liked to drag me everywhere all the time, why not?"

"Really!? You won't mind?" She asked again.

"Well, if you want me to change my mind..."

"Don't you even think about that!" She quickly grabbed my hand and drag me off.

Heh, like I said, can it get any worse?

Never mind, as long as she's here, I can take anything.

After all, I did make a promise with her, right? If I pass this exam, I'll go out with her.

Guess it's not so bad after all.

* * *

**Editor's note: Whew! It's finally finished! Happy Birthday, Afira-chan! ^_^**

**Well, it's not the best present, but at least I'm doing my best writing this fic, with time limitations and my own things to attend and all...**

**I hope you have a nice birthday!**

**PS. I really am bad at writing romance stories...**


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